Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital Seeks Transfer of Integrated Neurological Examination Device Patent for RMB 30,000

Jan 28, 2026 07:59 CST Updated 08:00

Recently, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University released a public notice on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, proposing to“A Neurological Examination Instrument”The utility model patent right is to be transferred to the industry party, with a proposed transfer price of30,000 yuan. The inventors of the patents proposed for transfer in this instance are from the Department of Neurology at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University.Professor Yan Zhenwen and his team.

Yan Zhenwen:Associate Professor, Associate Chief Physician, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh (USA), Master’s Supervisor. Member of the World Stroke Organization; Vice Chairperson of the Neurology Professional Committee of the Guangdong Health Management Association; Vice Chairperson of the Neuroelectrophysiology and Muscle Branch of the Guangdong Association of Integrative Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine; Member of the Second Expert Committee on ALS Projects of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; Member of the Professional Committee for Refractory Nervous System Diseases of Guangdong Province. With many years of clinical and teaching experience in neurology, possesses unique expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of common neurological disorders. Has secured multiple research and teaching grants, published numerous academic papers in journals such as *Neurology*, co-authored five academic monographs and medical textbooks, and engaged in academic exchanges at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University.

This utility model patent provides a highly integrated neurological examination instrument. It innovatively integrates multiple functions, including a traditional reflex hammer, pupil penlight, tactile examination brush, pain sensation tester, and pathological reflex probe, into a single compact device. This design significantly simplifies the examination process, eliminates the need for frequent tool changes, and facilitates portability and operation, thereby effectively reducing the workload of medical personnel and enhancing the efficiency and convenience of clinical examinations.

Diagnosis of neurological disorders relies on multiple examinations; the fragmentation of traditional instruments leads to cumbersome procedures and low efficiency.

Neurology is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of neurological disorders. These conditions include cerebrovascular diseases, such as stroke, which are caused by abnormal cerebral blood flow. Migraine is a common type of headache disorder. Inflammatory brain diseases, such as encephalitis, result from infections of the brain tissue.

In addition, there are myelitis, epilepsy (characterized by epileptic seizures), Parkinson’s disease (a movement disorder), cerebral palsy (manifesting as impaired motor function), ataxia (involving coordination problems), torsion spasm (presenting with involuntary muscle contractions), autism (characterized by social communication deficits), and senile dementia (such as Alzheimer’s disease).

Other diseases include neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic and genetic diseases, trigeminal neuralgia (characterized by severe facial pain), sciatica (manifesting as leg nerve pain), peripheral neuropathy (involving damage to peripheral nerves), and myasthenia gravis (symptomized by muscle weakness).

When diagnosing these conditions, physicians rely on diagnostic instruments to assess the extent of nerve damage. The reflex hammer is an indispensable tool in neurological examinations. Existing reflex hammers generally consist of a head and a handle, featuring a relatively simple structure.

Neurological examinations rely on precise physical assessments. However, the instruments required for these examinations are diverse and complex, including reflex hammers, pupil lights, tactile examination brushes, and pain stimulators. These tools are not only varied and intricate but also stored in scattered locations, making them inconvenient to use. This increases the steps involved in the examination process and poses challenges for medical personnel.

Patent-protected five-in-one integration of deep reflex, sensory, and pupillary examinations; an all-in-one design that optimizes clinical workflow.

Given the practical challenges of fragmented instruments and complex procedures in current clinical examinations, there is an urgent clinical need for an integrated examination tool that highly consolidates multiple functions and simplifies operational workflows.

The core advantage of this patent lies in its highly integrated, all-in-one design. It incorporates five independent functions required for routine neurological examinations, namelyDeep tendon reflex percussion, pupillary light reflex examination, superficial tactile sensation examination, pain sensation examination, and pathological reflex examination, innovatively integrated into a single handheld device. This design fundamentally resolves the workflow interruptions and inefficiencies caused by the repeated retrieval and replacement of different tools during examinations.

The main body of the device isAn Ergonomic Hammer Handle and Head. The two ends of the hammer head are equipped with a large percussion head suitable for adults and a small percussion head suitable for children, respectively, used to tap tendons to elicit reflexes, thereby assessing the integrity of neural pathways. On the side of the hammer head, two movable sensory examination modules are ingeniously integrated.

One of the modules is a Wartenberg wheel, primarily used for assessing pain sensation in patients. It consists of a disc with evenly distributed fine pins, connected to the hammer head via a rotating shaft. During examination, the clinician can rotate the Wartenberg wheel upward by approximately 45 degrees, allowing the pins to gently contact and roll across the patient’s skin. By controlling the rolling pressure, qualitative and semi-quantitative assessments of cutaneous pain sensitivity can be performed. This rotatable stowage design ensures that the device maintains a streamlined profile when not in use, thereby preventing accidental activation.

The module opposite the spiked roller is a brush used for assessing tactile sensation. The brush is also mounted on a rotating shaft, allowing it to pivot outward by 90 degrees for deployment. Its soft bristles deliver uniform and gentle tactile stimulation, facilitating the evaluation of diminished or absent light touch sensation in the patient’s skin. When not in use, the brush can be rotated back into its retracted position and covered with a dedicated brush cover to maintain bristle cleanliness and prevent contamination.

Another major innovation of this device isConnect the hammer handle to the flashlight via threaded connection.This flashlight is not a standard lighting tool; it houses a low-intensity light source specifically designed for pupillary examination. It provides both white and yellow light, enabling more effective observation of pupillary constriction responses under different light colors—known as the pupillary light reflex—which is a critical assessment for evaluating midbrain and oculomotor nerve function. The body of the flashlight is also printed with a pupil size reference scale, allowing physicians to quickly compare and record pupil diameter.

Additionally, the tip of the flashlight is designed to be blunt, allowing it to be used for stroking areas such as the patient's sole to elicit pathological reflexes like the Babinski sign, thereby assessing whether the corticospinal tract is impaired.

In summary, thanks to the ingenious design of its mechanical structure, this device achieves a “five-in-one” functional integration. During a systematic neurological examination, physicians no longer need to frequently set down and pick up different tools; instead, they can hold this single instrument and perform multiple key examinations smoothly and continuously through simple rotation and switching maneuvers. This not only significantly optimizes workflow, saves examination time, and reduces the operational burden on healthcare personnel, but also enhances the standardization and coherence of the examination, representing an important trend toward greater efficiency and integration in neurological diagnostic tools.

Frontier market exploration focuses on brain-computer interfaces and non-invasive monitoring, representing the high-end technological direction for neurological function assessment.

Guided by this clinical needs-driven model of continuous innovation, relevant enterprises and institutions are also making forward-looking strategic deployments in other key areas of neurological disease diagnosis and treatment, developing a series of technologies in their R&D pipelines.

In the international market,Natus Medical IncorporatedProvidedPortable Neuromonitoring Device, such as its AI-based bedside electroencephalogram (EEG) system, BrainWatch, which represents the trend in neurodiagnostic devices toward rapid and convenient solutions.

Such devices are primarily used in acute care settings, such as emergency departments and intensive care units, to rapidly monitor and record the brain’s electrophysiological activity. Their core principle involves capturing microvolt-level electrical signals generated by neuronal population activity via electrodes placed on the patient’s scalp, followed by amplification and digitization of these analog signals. Advanced devices like BrainWatch go a step further by integrating artificial intelligence algorithms (such as the Persyst algorithm) to perform real-time analysis of EEG data, automatically detect epileptiform discharges, and assess seizure burden, thereby providing clinicians with rapid decision support for identifying non-convulsive seizures or status epilepticus.

Currently,NatusThe neurodiagnostic product portfolio is in a phase characterized by both mature commercialization and continuous innovative iteration. On one hand, its traditional equipment, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) devices, is widely used in clinical and laboratory settings globally, with certain products holding a leading position in the Chinese market. On the other hand, the company is actively advancing product modernization; for instance, its innovative BrainWatch system received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance in December 2024.

In China,PINS MedicalCore ProductsDeep Brain Stimulation System (DBS), commonly known as a "brain pacemaker," is an implantable neuromodulation device used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Its mechanism of action involves surgically implanting electrodes precisely into specific deep brain nuclei (such as the subthalamic nucleus), after which a pulse generator implanted in the chest delivers high-frequency electrical pulses to continuously stimulate the target area.

This electrical stimulation can inhibit the hyperactive neural signals caused by the reduction of dopaminergic neurons, thereby effectively controlling core symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia in patients. This therapy offers the advantages of being reversible and adjustable, distinguishing it from permanent neuroablative surgeries.

The global medical device industry is widely grappling with rising costs and structural divergence in profit margins, imposing higher demands on corporate operational efficiency and innovation commercialization capabilities. Meanwhile, the technological frontier is rapidly advancing toward high-end and digital solutions.

For instance, brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has entered a phase of explosive growth, expanding from functional restoration to capability enhancement in the field of medical rehabilitation, and has received clear policy support. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is permeating the entire industry chain—from research and development and production to commercialization—driving the sector’s transition toward value-based healthcare.

Therefore, the future development of the neurology device sector is expected to feature the parallel evolution of basic, practical products and high-end, disruptive technologies. Driven by both policy incentives for innovation and market demand for clinical value, solutions that tangibly enhance diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency while improving patient experience are likely to emerge.